The present invention relates generally to the art of storage and holding systems for vehicles, and more particular, to console systems. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, a bin is movable in the fore and aft directions and is accessible to occupants in more than one row of seating.
Console systems for vehicle interiors are generally known. Such known console systems may include storage enclosures and/or armrests that are formed or mounted on a base and/or vehicle floor. However, such known console systems tend to be relatively permanent in their configuration such that they are not accessible to vehicle occupants in more than one row of seating. The user of the console and/or vehicle has little choice but for a console accessibility configuration as provided by the vehicle manufacturer.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a console that is movable to provide access (i.e., physical and/or visual) for the occupants in more than one row of seating (e.g., front row occupants and back row occupants in a vehicle with two rows of seats). It would also be advantageous to provide one row of occupants with access through a pivoting armrest or by sliding a storage bin forward (fore), and to provide another row of occupants with access by sliding the storage bin rearward (aft). Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a console storage enclosure having one or more of these or other advantageous features.
To provide an inexpensive, reliable, and widely adaptable console storage enclosure that avoids the above-referenced and other problems would represent a significant advance in the art.